Slurs
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b. 540-543
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composition: Op. 31, Scherzo in B♭ minor
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The missing slur in A (→FE) in b. 540-541 is almost certainly an oversight of Chopin. The next four slurs, written in A, illustrate the difficulties in interpreting handwritten slurs, since each of them manifests a defect (a gap or a shortening), resulting from interruption in the flow of ink. The copyist overlooked 3 out of those slurs (in b. 541-542 at the end of the line of the manuscript), which was completed in GE3. EE unified the slurs: the overlooked slur in b. 540-541 was added and the excessively short R.H. slur in b. 541-542 was prolonged. category imprint: Differences between sources issues: EE revisions , Inaccurate slurs in A , GE revisions , Errors of FC |
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b. 543-544
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composition: Op. 31, Scherzo in B♭ minor
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When interpreted literally, the slur of FC goes under the rest and ends on the treble clef at the end of b. 543. It misled the engraver of GE1; he assumed that the slur was supposed to reach the octave in b. 544. The nonsensical slur was removed in GE2 (in FC and GE1 there are no slurs in the previous bars) and restored, already in its correct form, in GE3. category imprint: Differences between sources issues: Inaccuracies in GE , GE revisions , Inaccuracies in FC |
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b. 544-551
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composition: Op. 31, Scherzo in B♭ minor
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The fact of GE2 (→GE3) shortening the slurs results from a general assumption adopted by the revisers of GE2 according to which all similar motifs should be provided with slurs encompassing quavers only. The discussed bars, in which both manuscripts and the remaining editions contain clearly longer slurs, stand in flagrant contradiction with that conjecture. category imprint: Differences between sources issues: GE revisions |
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b. 547-550
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composition: Op. 31, Scherzo in B♭ minor
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According to us, longer slurs in FE (→EE) are almost certainly an inaccuracy. The engraver could have relied on the R.H. slurs, which also encompass 3 crotchets; in this line of FE (b. 547-552), all 3 L.H. slurs present in such a context encompass 3 crotchets. category imprint: Differences between sources issues: Inaccuracies in FE |
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b. 552-559
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composition: Op. 31, Scherzo in B♭ minor
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In A the slurs over the characteristic quaver motifs generally encompass only the quaver groups in these bars (the only exception are the slurs in b. 554-555, reaching the crotchet at the beginning of the next bar). The remaining sources do not show traces of Chopin's influence on the range of those slurs. Therefore, taking into account the fact that the discussed figures are identical, in every respect, in the main text we unify the slurs, giving always the ones Chopin wrote in A more often. Such a solution was also adopted in GE2 (→GE3). Alternatively, we also suggest 6-note slurs, which are more frequent in similar motifs in the entire Scherzo. category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources issues: Inaccuracies in GE , Inaccuracies in FE , Inaccurate slurs in A , GE revisions , EE inaccuracies , Inaccuracies in FC , Uncertain slur continuation |
